Cardiff City have released a strongly-worded statement to dismiss reports saying they are hitting Nantes with an £80million compensation claim due to lost revenue after Emiliano Sala's tragic passing.
A report in The Sun, from a new book about what happened to Sala, claimed that Cardiff were seeking the sum from Nantes on the grounds that the striker's passing ultimately cost them relegation from the Premier League and, with it, money from TV rights, advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
It was reported that the Welsh club had put forward their claim in the recent Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in Switzerland, which will decide whether Cardiff have to pay the £15m transfer fee to Nantes. It added that Cardiff were using the precedent set by West Ham and Sheffield United over relegation pertaining to the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in 2007. You can read more about that here.
However, in light of the original report and other media subsequently picking up on the story, the club have set the record straight by releasing a statement to deny what is being said.
Cardiff stated categorically: "Cardiff City FC wish to clarify that there is no truth in today’s press stories relating to a compensation claim being made against FC Nantes. The suggestions that have been made can be wholly dismissed as false."
Cardiff are set to learn the outcome of their appeal to CAS in due course.
